Buried
by Fabius Maximus
Summary: Some enemies are hard to fight...and some friends are unexpected.  Rated PG-13 for adult situations, may change to an R later.  Any one giving reviews, please mention if you think this rating is too low.  Final Chapter Is up- Book I is completed!
1. Default Chapter

"Help! Someone Help!" Kim screamed, again. She couldn't get out—the Coffin was heavy, and the only light came from a small lamp, revealing the obscenely cheerful pink fabric it was done in.

"Enjoying yourself?" The voice said. "Don't worry—if you have any _last_ words, I do have a recorder running inside—no doubt in a few weeks or months, when they find you, they can replay any messages you might have." Kim tried to keep from whimpering. She'd been walking home, when _something_ had shot her—she'd only had a chance to pull a dart out when she'd passed out.

Then she'd woken up in here… in a coffin. She shouted, demanded and hammered her fists on it, but to no avail.

Then she'd felt it being moved, and heard an odd rattling sound…and then lost it completely when she realized that the sound was dirt being shoveled in on her.

"Don't worry… I've buried you at regulation depth—six feet." There was a pause as Kim waited, tears rolling down her face. "But, I think it's wrong to waste power, don't you? I don't think you need that light anymore."

"But… NO! Why are you doing this?" Kim said, her voice uncontrollably shaking.

"Because it will be my ticket into the upper echelons of crime. Because, I don't like know it alls…because at the end of the day, your family will hear your last moments…and because I can." The light went out. Kim started hammering again, even though she knew she couldn't get out. She kept hammering, her hands skinned and bloody, her feet kicking desperately against the unyielding hatch, her voice begging, screaming, pleading to anyone to help…

"What?" Drakken said, "Why should I listen to you?" He asked the strange little man in front of him.

"Because I've eliminated Kim possible…more so, I've broken her." He said, "I think you want me on your side for that." He held out the Kimmunicator for proof.

"So, what did you do?"

"I've buried her alive. Don't worry, there's a recording…she wasn't very coherent when I left, but here's a snippet. I was thinking of releasing it on the internet in a few weeks." He clicked a switch and Kim's voice came, a raw desperate voice with the sound of thumping in the background.

"Oh please god, someone help me, Ron, mommy daddy don't let medie I can't see athing-" The voice cut off.

"So, what's your price for bragging rights?" Drakken had turned nearly normal color, he'd gone so pale. Shego looked over at him, and with equal nods, they looked back.

"I desire to know where Kim Possible is. She's evaded too many traps. Tell me her location, and I guarantee you'll never have to work again." Drakken said, taking a lordly stance.

"Very well."

* * *

"Where is Kimmie." Ms. Possible asked. Ron was at their house, and he also looked worried.

"She said she'd be studying at the library…maybe she's getting a ride with someone." Ron said, his voice uncertain.

* * *

Wade was at his house, working on his newest program, when an attention light burned brightly. He answered it and then blinked. There was Shego and Drakken, and it looked like Shego had…_blood_ on her hands.

"What-how did you get the Kim-"

"No time, kiddo." Shego said, "Someone's buried Kim alive at…" She read off a coordinate. "Just in case that was a lie, down load this things locator log and see if it was at that location."

"It was…" Wade said. "For at least an hour."

"Good enough for me!" Shego said, "You call every cop, EMS and firefighter for twenty miles around. Drakken is going there with his graviotomic ray to dig it up, but he'll need help."

"Where are you going?" Wade said, even as his fingers set off a dozen alerts in as many firehouses and police stations. Shego abruptly looked very grim.

"To get her family."

* * *

Kim had long ago stopped screaming, the runnel of blood from the corner of her mouth showing the signs of abused vocal chords, even as her hands and feet, her entire body was cut and abraded, fingernails clawing at the unyielding metal that backed up the fabric. She couldn't see anything the darkness was complete. She kept beating at the lid, her tempo growing slower and slower. Then, she screamed one more time as there was a shudder, and the coffin seemed to move. She had a sudden, mad thought that she was about to tumble down into hell, into fire… The scream turned to a giggle. Silly girl, just last week in school they'd studied Dante—hell was _cold.

* * *

_

The cheery sound of the door bell, interrupted the Possible family dinner—Kim's mom was worried, but Kim had been later then this before—and she would give her another fifteen minutes before she called the police—and grounded her daughter for the next month. The twins were regaling Ron with the newest game hack they'd devised, all three heading to the door to answer it, probably expecting it to be Kim. Ms. Possible did as well and she and her husband walked behind them. They didn't get to it before the door was blasted open, and in it, stood Shego.

"Shego!" Ron said, sweeping the twins behind him. "What are you doing here?" Shego responded with none of her banter.

"Getting you all." There was a pause, "Except for them." She said, pointing to the Twins. Ron blinked as behind Shego two other forms appeared—his parents.

"You-kidnapped my-"

"It's alright Ronald. We're going to take care of the twins…while you all go with Shego…please, it's important." Ms. Possible had turned bone white.

"It's Kimmie, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Shego said, "It's Kimmie." Both Ms. and Mr. Possible swayed, and then all three were in a hover saucer (that had been firing energy beams at Ron the last time he'd seen it), and off in a flash.

"What's happened Shego." Mr. Possible said. Shego looked at them all and sighed.

"Some guy came into the lair a few hours ago and said he'd kidnapped Kim." Ron blinked.

"That's why you're here?"

"No. I'm here because he then put her in a coffin and buried her alive. Dr. D went along ahead to pull her out before the oxygen ran out…I hope."

"Who?" Ron asked, "Monkey fist, Kill-" His hand's suddenly tightened so hard that the rail made a sound of failing metal and came off in them.

"None of the above." Shego said, and-

"That's not important." Mr. Possible said, "Shego, step on it!" All four strained their eyes, until they came to an area on the outskirts of Middleton. Even before they landed, they could see what looked like every police and firefighter care in the place, as well as a saucer, twin to the one they were in, that was pulling up great swathes of turf. Drakken was grumbling.

"Cursed ray—and cursed man who didn't bother to make an exact map…where _are_ you?" Then, there was a brief lurch in the saucer as a oblong object came into sight—a coffin.

" A second after the saucer was grounded, Mr. And Ms. Possible and Ron were on their way to be stopped bya solid line of cops.

"Let us through!" Mr. Possible shouted. "Kimmie!"

"No." The police officer said, an older man. "We're opening it up. If she's alive, you'll see her, if she _isn't_, I will _not _let this be your last image of your daughter." Drakken had dropped the coffin and a pair of firefighters came charging up with the jaws of life.

"Traps?" The other looked at him.

"Possible managed to save my dad when his boat went belly up."

"Right. Hell with it." The jaws bit into the metal, pulling the lid up with irresistible force. Both firefighters looked down at what was revealed.

"Jeez." One said under his breath and then louder.

"Can you hear me?" The blinking girl got up like a zombie, heedless of the firefighters, mumbling in a monotone.

"I've got to get home, Mom's going to ground me forever, I need to get home, I don't want to be grounded, put in the ground, buried…" She started giggling, higher and higher. Then, Mr. and Ms. Possible were there, holding their daughter with desperate strength.

"Kimmie."

"Kimmiecub…you're going to the hospital right now, and we'll ride with you." The EMT's didn't bother to contradict that, besides, Dr. Possible was certainly capable of helping. Kim looked up and some realization came into her blank eyes.

"Mommy? Daddy… I can't feel my hands, I can't feel…" Dr. Possible didn't bother to look at the hands, that wasn't what her daughter was talking about. The way she had moved ruled out trauma to the spine or head, and—her husband ended the question by, just as soon as a heated emergency blanked was wrapped around his daughter lifting her up into his arms, as easily has he'd lifted up a much lighter child years before.

"Let's go." He said, no tremor in his voice, but his tears mixing freely with the rain. His daughter looked at him uncomprehendingly, and only mumbled incoherently as they took her off to the ambulance.

Ron was paralyzed. What could he do…why hadn't he studied with her instead of going to play some games, he was so-

"hey… HEY!" Shego spoke in his ear.

"What?"

"Stop it."

"What?"

"The 'if I was there' business." She looked at him. "First, it's counterproductive—Kim needs _you_ and not someone walking around beating himself up. Secondly, you're not joined at the hip." She paused, and sighed, "And thirdly because other people will say it for you. Ignore them. Kimmie was a lot of peoples' good luck charm and now it's been dropped in the toilet." Ron looked over at the ambulance and a police car.

"Are you coming with us?" Ron asked. Amazing, a tiny part of his brain said, how Shego and Drakken could go from goofy enemies, to people he could never pay back in a million years in the span of day. Shego shook her head.

"No Kid, I'd prefer not to risk someone remembering that million dollar reward for me. I also have…something else to do, well, Drew and I do." She pushed him towards the police car. "Go. She needs you…she's gonna need you more than ever…really need you."

Ron didn't wait, but took off for the car, and seconds later it was heading out into the darkness. Shego sighed, and turned towards her saucer to be confronted by police officer.

"Don't tell me you're going to try and stop us?" She asked.

"I have to ask where you got the information about this crime."

"Someone told us, trying to be the big man." She said, "I…convinced him to be more forthcoming."

"Where is he? I just got the DA up and he's wanted on about a dozen counts, more as fast as the DA can write them down."

"Waste of paper." She said. The cop looked at her.

"As much as I hate to say it, I can't let you kill that bastard." He said. Shego ran through a dozen stories, and decided to be honest.

"OK, honesty time. He did it. I know he did it, Drakken knows he did it, and when you pull the fingerprints and DNA, you will too. Except, _your_ way, there will be a long trial, full of questions like "are you certain this man was the one who buried you" and Kimmie's going to be sitting there watching him look at her. Then he gets to go to death row, unless he escapes.

"Yes well-"

"There's another point—he's not going to live that long because Ron Stoppable is going to kill him."

"Kim's sidekick-"

"Yeah, I know, the "buffoon", get a clue, he's survived more death traps then your average Navy SEAL. He's a slacker, but not in this and he will figure a way into any jail you care to name and off the guy…and then get caught because he isn't a criminal." She shrugs. "Then you get to pull him into jail and have a trial, with…oh yes! Kimmie getting to watch her best friend go to jail for life for killing a piece of shit that should have been strangled at birth."

"And you?"

"Off the record? I'm wanted, yes, never for murder, but this isn't murder. Even if you do charge me on it, I can get away. And in case he decided to have any dry runs for this…I think between the two of us, Drakken and I can get you all the evidence you need."

"Um." The officer paused, "You realized, that if his body is found, there will have to be an _official_ investigation…and we will _officially _have to follow up all leads."

_Which means unless I do something like chop his head off at the mall, at __12:00__noon__, nobodies going to be looking real hard for the perpetrator._

"Good enough." Shego said.

"I'm afraid that the rain has interfered with our communications…I can't be _officially_ certain you have any outstanding warrants… I don't think we'll be able to check for at least five minutes."

"Good enough for me!" She said, leaping up into her saucer and joining Drakken's saucer.

"Ready, Shego?"

"Yeah."

"excellent! Our friend has carried out his part of the bargain, and I wouldn't want to let down my end."

"Your end?"

"To ensure that he _never_ wants for employment again."

**To be continued.**


	2. Falling into Darkness

At the hospital, Ron found himself seeing details. How the tiles looked, that crack in the ceiling… how the Tweebs were quieter then he'd ever heard them, sitting in a scared huddle. The murmur of the nurses, the cops at the door, keeping (and not too gently) the press from getting in.

"Ronald?" Mr. Possible spoke quietly.

"Yes?"

"Kimmie… is conscious. She's asked to see you, but she isn't very coherent—she's been placed under light sedation."

"I understand…" Ron said, swallowed, trying to get his voice steady, "Is she-"

"Physically, she was beaten, and the doctors are doing some other work…but she's in no danger of dying." He gave a ghostly smile, "Go to her, Ron." Ronald walked down, as Dr. Possible came to her husband. Ron didn't need to hear this.

"The check up came back negative—whatever else happened, he didn't abuse her sexually…that way at least."

"Thank God for small favors."

Inside, Ron approached the bed, with Kim in it, looking lost. Her hair he thought in another one of those ridiculous thoughts, someone had taken a pair of shears to it, hacking chunks out.

"Hey, KP." Ron said softly, as Rufus ran down to curl up against her cheek, making a comforting noise. Kim didn't move and Ron noticed her bandaged hands, mute testimony to the frenzy with which she'd attacked the coffin lid.

"It was so dark." She said, her voice rough from her screaming earlier, but with a detached quality to it from the sedation.

"I…can't do anything." She softly said, and no matter what Ron said, Kim remained silent. Ron didn't say anything else, after a while, and just held one of her hands. She didn't seem to notice him.

Ron waited as the light at the window grew, and then the first rays of sun entered the room. Then (and how were people moving so quietly?), there was a touch at his shoulder.

"Son…you've been here for nearly 20 hours…you need to get some sleep."

"I don't want to go home…" He said, "She'll need me…if I'd" A flash of a dark haired women in his mind, and Ron bit off the words Shego had somehow known he was going to use. "She'll need me. Home's too far away."

"Rabbi Katz loaned us his motor home." His father said. "It's in the parking lot… you'll just be a few seconds away…but you have to rest." Ron got up, Rufus running back up into his pocket and bent down and kissed Kim on the cheek. Her eyes blinked, slowly, but there was no other response.

Ron turned and shambled away, not seeing anything else. His father looked at him, sighed, and placed a gentle hand on Kim's cheek before following his son.

* * *

For the next week, Kim barely spoke. The hospital psychologist came and spoke with her, then spoke with her parents. Kim just keep looking up at the ceiling. Her parents, Ron, and Ron's parents stood shifts by her bed. The Tweebs didn't—they were staying with a friend, although they'd visited once or twice, and the experience had been so upsetting that both the hospital psychologist and the parents had agreed that they should not return until there was some change. Rabbi Katz came with Ron, and didn't speak, just sitting by her as Ron told her about the people at school.

The number of cards and flowers grew exponentially. From kings and delivery boys, world famous scientists and barely literate farmers. Josh sent his own letters and flowers, although he was now on the other side of the continent, after his parents' move. On her parents' and psychologists' orders, nobody mentioned the terribly mutilated form, identified as her assailant via DNA testing that had turned up in a park.

_Shego_ Ron thought. Then, for the first time, Kim spoke to him directly.

"Ron?" She asked, her voice still raspy, with little of her normal energy in it.

"Yeah, KP?"

"You've been here…a while."

"Yep!" He said, trying to interject his humor. "I even passed up Bueno Nacho!" She didn't say anything, as Ron stretched out one hand to cover Kim's bandaged hand. She didn't say anything for a moment.

"I… can't stop seeing him. I can't stop remembering now…" She softly said. "He put his hands all over me, but I was so out of it I didn't even remember until now…then he dumped me into the coffin." There was an unearthly calm to her voice. "I think I'm ready to go home." She said. Ron looked over at Rufus, and the mole rat looked back at him. Something was…missing.

Then the parents came charging in and there were hugs and tears, and happy exclamations…and Ron watched, and saw that something was still missing…like a plate of glass covering Kim. Her mother and father noticed it to. Kim looked at them and summoned a smile.

"Don't worry." She said, "I'll work through this." She paused. "I can do anything!" Ron stiffened.

_That wasn't what you said, Kim._

The idea of a public celebration was quickly quashed by the parents, and Ron had to agree—Kim wasn't herself, that was plain, and her parents agreed that the house would be the best place for her—as well as allowing her to meet the twins.

* * *

_She could hear the last of the dirt pattering on the lid of the coffin, before the hateful voice ended, her body still feeling unclean from where **his** hands had mauled her. She kept thumping at the lid, even though what shreds of sanity she had left knew that no merely human strength would avail her. Then, a new light came to replace the darkness, and Kim looked at her hands. Rotted, tendons and bones showing through, maggots and worms writhing in the long dead flesh-_

"AAA!" Kim gasped, shuddering, as she came awake, hearing the TV play. "I'm here, I'm alive, I'm here." She moaned, rocking back and forth. It had been nearly a week since she'd left the hospital…but every night, _every_ night, the nightmare came. She had told her parents that she needed noise and light now, and so the TV played, all the time…but that wasn't the reason. The nightmares still came, the smell of dirt, or sound of a shovel could send her into a blind panic.

But at least her parents couldn't hear her cries now. They were muffled…almost as good as a good layer of- Kim clamped her hand on her mouth, stifling a giggle that threatened to erupt. The last time she had let that get started, she'd ended up hysterical, having to be given a tranquilizer by her mother. Her mom wouldn't give her a sleeping pill though—apparently she was more or less immune to the less powerful versions.

And today, she saw (it being just past 4:00), she'd be going back to school for the first time. Where there were people… Kim shivered. She was afraid to be alone, and afraid to be around so many people. She dressed, early and ate alone, she had to get ready, she had to get back on top of things.

Ron showed up early. Kim was being driven to school, and he'd join wth her and her mother. At the front door, Ron saw Kim sitting in the living room, wearing a baggy, long sleeve shirt, long pants and shoes. Her mother had evidently worked hard, and her hair was… if not like it was, arranged so the nearly bald spots were hidden. Her hands were tucked away in her lap, still bearing a few bandages.

"Hi Ron…you ready?" She said, giving a brief flickering smile.

"Oh yes, the Ronster's _ready to go!_" He said.

_C'mon Kim… laugh. If I have to lose my pants once a day for the rest of my life, I'll do it…just…laugh. _She didn't. Kim nodded and got up.

"Mom…we're ready!" She called. Ron looked at her, and wondered if she thought anyone believed that.

* * *

At school, Ron was in every one of her classes—even the ones he didn't take, he'd been assigned to "for the duration" by Mr. Barkin. Some of the kids grumbled, but not many, and there were more than a few sympathetic looks…but not as many greetings as Ron had expected.

_Kimmie was a lot of people's good luck charm and now it's been dropped in the toilet._

Shego's comment came back to him and he looked around. Ron had always enjoyed being the buffoon, the shadow in Kim's light—but that didn't mean he wasn't perceptive…it wasn't dislike…it was _fear_. Kim possible, the girl who could do anything, was walking along, flinching whenever a door slammed, wearing clothes to hide herself. If that could happen to her, what about everyone else?

He also heard more than a few unkind comments about him. Why he wasn't there. Kim had always been there for him, but maybe that was a one way street. Ron gritted his teeth and screened it out.

The day went slowly. Kim was forgetful, losing her place in the books, looking around, unable to focus. Once or twice teachers tried to get her involved, but the way she'd start a sentence, and then trail off, looking around confused as if she'd forgotten the end of it, put that idea on hold—and someone was evidently keeping the other teachers appraised because nobody after lunch tried to do that again.

"So, Kim…ready for cheerleading practice?" Tara asked. She and Bonnie had met Kim at lunch. Ron was surprised. Bonnie hadn't been catty at all… if anything she was quiet sitting by Kim…but less unnerved than many others had been.

"Cheerleading practice… yes." Kim said. She nodded, "Right, I need to get back on that." She reached to get a drink and knocked it off the table onto the floor.

"I'll get that." Ron said, carefully ignoring how Kim had to clasp her hands together to stop the trembling. Bonnie and Tara looked at each other and then started in on inconsequential chit-chat.

Finally, the day came to an end—at least the class portion. Ron waited with the others, when Kim showed up, still in her school clothes.

"OK." She said, "I think we…what?" She asked. Tara looked over at the others.

"Kim…your uniform?"

"Oh…right….I…" Kim quivered and seem to go blank for a moment.

"Kim?" Ron was speaking, but oddly, like from the bottom of a well. Kim shuddered.

"I…"

**_His_**_ hands were running over her, slipping under her clothes, violating her while she slurred out attempts at protests, her hands not working her legs buckling. Then he lay her in the padded floor of the coffin, running his hands over her again before pulling out a pair of shears._

_"Souvenirs, you understand."_

"Kim?" Kim blinked and looked up. Ron was looking at her, and the other cheerleaders were there, white as sheets. She had somehow ended up in a corner, shivering and gasping.

"I didn't let him touch me…I couldn't stop…" She gasped out, they had to understand…

"Shh…" Ron said. "I think we'd better call it a day." He said pulling her up gently.

"No…I can't…" Kim moaned. She closed her eyes, scrubbing them with her hands.

"Bonnie…" She said.

"Yes, Kim?"

"It's yours. The squad…I can't do this." Bonnie flinched.

"Kim, I'll hold the place for you, but don't."

"No, I can't!" Kim said, and turned and ran. Ron took out after her. One of the cheerleaders was on the phone to the office, and Ron heard her urgent, "Mr. Barkin" as he left the room.

"What do I-" Bonnie asked, her queen bee attitude gone, looking strangely vulnerable. Tara glared at her, finding a target for her anger.

"Well, Bonnie." Tara said, bitingly. "Remember, you wanted to be on top instead of Kim…you got your wish." Bonnie didn't say a thing for a moment, then her face crumpled and she threw the pom-poms down on the floor of the gym, before running out, sobbing. Tara blinked, her outburst calming her down.

"Bonnie, wait-that wasn't-BONNIE!" and followed her out. The other cheerleaders looked at each other, and by unspoken agreement, turned and left. Practice was over.

* * *

Kim was running through the halls when she hit a wall. A wall named Barkin.

"Possible." He said, "No running!" Unaccountably, the very prosaicness of his statement brought her back, at least a little.

"I'm..I'm sorry." She hiccupped. "I just had…I don't know." Barkin handed her a tissue paper.

"Blow." He directed, as she obediently blew her nose. "I've called your mother, and she'll be picking you and Ron up."

"Ron's…back there, I left him…I'll…"

"Don't worry. He'll find his way to the office…given how often he spends timethere."

* * *

Ron was heading to the office, when he found himself blocked by some of the "guards" that liked to pick on him. He was not in the mood.

"Out of my way." He said, shortly.

"ooohhhh…. Ronny's got guts." There were four of them, bigger than Ron. One grinned and looked at the others.

"Especially since his protector isn't up to snuff."

"You shut up about Kim." Ron said, evenly and quietly.

"Or what?" The biggest, a slovenly blonde boy, walked up to Ron. "Beat us up? That's here deal, not yours, Stoppable. Besides, you couldn't even help her…what was the matter, enjoying din-din?" for a moment, Ron's vision grayed out.

Everyone knew that Ron was the geek, the kid who Kim was always helping. It made him a joke. Few considered the fact that the thugs this "joke" distracted, fought and _survived_ against, ranged from ninjas, to cyborg commandoes using any number of genetic or technological enhancement methods. Ron's _average_ opponent would have been the equal of any line infantry soldier or police officer, and the top of the lines could have given any member of the SAS or SEAL's a run for their money.

Unfortunately, the four also lacked the survival skills soldiers have, such as noticing when they are about to step over a line.

Ron's hard driven fist didn't go for a jaw, to break his own fingers, but for the solar plexus. The first bully choked out and fell over. Another one charged, to fall back screaming at a hard edged chop that broke a rib. The third fell howling clutching a knee that now bent the wrong way. It wasn't fair—and it wasn't' anything anyone at school had ever seen Ron do…and if anything shocked the bullies more than the pain, it was the sudden knowledge of just what a predator they'd been poking all those years.

Ron grabbed the last as he gobbled out pleas and brought his fist up. Joking at Kim… Joking at _Kim's _expense. He slammed his fist forward, aiming for the throat, to smash the cartilage of the windpipe.

"STOPPABLE!" The bellow brought him back to himself for a moment—just long enough to divert the punch so it hit the wall. He let go of the last, letting him sag to the floor, noticing, absently, that two of the four had soiled themselves. Barkin was on the phone.

"Yes, I need an EMT team out here _now_ and get the nurse." He turned to Ron. "Go to the office."

"Mr. B, I-" Ron was shaking with reaction. He'd almost _killed_ someone.

"Go. Now. I'll talk to you later. Kim has gone home with her mother, thank god, and you might want to consider what seeing _you_ go to jail, because of something having to do with _her_, would do to her." He paused, "And don't try to say it was anything else. I know these…boys." He paused, "Now go."

* * *

Later, Ron was sitting in the room, hours after school was over, when the door opened. Barkin entered, and Ron got to his feet.

"Tell me what happened." Ron did, looking over the administrators shoulder.

Barkin frowned, looking at Stoppable. Ron kept his eyes fixed on the wall behind Barkin.

"And that's when you put them in the hospital."

"Yes, Mr. Barkin."

"And will you write an apology?"

"No, Mr. Barkin." Ron said, and Barkin sighed. There was no humor in his eyes, damn Kim's attacker to the deepest hell. His… crime was too minor a word to use, had radiated out, touching, in some small way, everyone Kim had known and some who hadn't known her personally… unfortunately some small minds only saw that as a way to hurt others.

"You understand, that if the police or parents decide to press charges, a lack of remorse may weigh heavily on you?"

"Yes sir."

"All right, Stoppable, you're suspended for three days—to the end of the week, and don't think that this is over, because it may not be, by a long shot. I'll call your parents tonight."

"Mr. B." Barkin looked up.

"Yes?"

"I don't understand…what happened to Kim." Barkin sighed.

"The term is a 'flashback'— Something that happened caused her to remember the events when she was attacked." Barkin shrugged, "It can happen, and be triggered by a lot of things. Some veterans react to the sound of backfires, and some police officers can never taste peppermint candy again—because they used the smell to disguise the stench of particularly bad crime scenes." Ron said nothing, but then had to speak.

"Will Kim recover?" He blinked. Suddenly Principle Barkin looked… older, almost bent.

"I don't know." He said, "Possible has never _lost_ before, and for it to come like this, in such a horrible way…I don't know." He looked up, "Your father is coming to pick you up, so you'd better go."

"Thank you."

"Stoppable."

"Yes sir?"

"I understand the reasoning, and I sympathize to some degree, but if you ever use that kind of combat capability against a student at this school again, I will have you arrested—expelled at the least. I won't have any choice."

Ron nodded and left the room. Steve Barkin thought for a few minutes. If the parents demanded charges be pressed, the physical damage alone would back them up. No matter the provocation, even a blind man could see just how far out of their league the bully's had been—and how easily Stoppable could have defeated them…without doing internal injuries. But he did not want Stoppable in jail…for a variety of reasons, not the least of which that they had deserved it, and the other bullies that students were normally too afraid to report, might get second thoughts about their… entertainment.

Barkin blinked and got a smile on his face. Kim wasn't the only one who had favors coming her way from old friends. . He picked up the phone and called an old wartime buddy. The number he used was one in no phone book, but it was instantly recognized. He waited until the operator got the phone.

"Yes, I'd like to speak to the President. Steve Barkin. Yes, it is about her.. tangentially, at least. Thank you. Yes, I'll wait."

* * *

_That night._

At home, Kim lay in bed, her legs pulled up to her chest. What could she do? She couldn't live like this, being afraid, she had to do something, she had to… She blinked and stood up, in the nightgown her mother had made her put on when she'd put her to bed. Quietly, so as not to disturb anyone (although her TV still played), she crossed into the main family room, where her mother and father kept their reference books. Pulling a book down from the wall, she ran her finger down a list until she found it.

PSYCHOTROPEN: A combat drug designed by the SOG to maintain high levels of combat effectiveness. Has a suppressing effect on fear and the need for sleep, being indicated for use in short duration, high intensity operations. 

That was it. She didn't have to sleep, and she could use that to fight off her fear. She could do it. Then, once she was back on her feet, she could stop taking it. Yes. That was it. She could do it. Kim read the warning, but she could beat this, and the warning would only apply if she took it for too long.

WARNING: This drug is no longer in use by SOG troops. High percentages of mental and physical side effects have been indicated, including paranoia, rages, hallucinations, and in some cases, psychotic breaks. 

Kim replaced the book and crept back into her room. She couldn't use Wade for this—he might tell her parents, and Mom hadn't even let her use prescription sleeping pills, much less something like this. It'd be better to surprise them…to make herself well first and _then_ tell.

"I can do it. I can do it." She said, before sleep—and her now nightly nightmares, claimed her.

_She looked up at the lid, the lid that blocked out everything except that one light. _

_"Look at you. Blubbering, crying, probably have snot running down your nose. Good thing I got my touchie feely stuff in earlier. " There was a pause, "You can't do everything…you can't do anything. Just a helpless, mewling brat…That's all you are."_

_"Please.." Kim whimpered, begging, literally begging, for the first time in her life. "I don't want to die…I'll…" she hiccupped, "I'll do whatever you want." _

_"Oh, you are that…" The voice said. _

Kim erupted from the bed, gasping, again. She gritted her teeth. Just one day, once she got the medication, those dreams would go away…they'd have to.

To be continued.


	3. Pride of Man

Part III: _Pride of Man_

"Where's Kimmie?" Ms. Possible asked, looking very concerned. The twins held up a note.

"She said she was going out for a walk mom." Tim said, "She asked us not to say anything."

"She looked a lot better!" His twin, Jim said. "She just wanted to clear her head." Ms. Possible frowned, and then nodded. "You should have told me, boys, but maybe it's for the best. I told Mr. Barkin I'd be keeping Kimmie home for the rest of the week…given how yesterday went. The twins didn't ask—as intelligent as they were, they were still young boys, and their world view didn't adjust well to the near hysterical state their sister had been in when she'd been driven home, or the nightmares.

* * *

But Kim wasn't clearing her head—at least not in that way.

"Kim Possible." The scientist said, "I heard you were, ah…in the hospital." He finished, looking at her bandaged hands, hollow eyes, and feeling the aura of tension that lay behind those eyes.

"I got out." Kim said, "I need a favor."

"Anything, for the person who saved the science center from DNAmy." He said heartily.

"I need this." She said, passing a sheet of paper over. He looked at it, and blanched.

"Young lady… this isn't simply on the controlled substances list, it's on the banned substances list."

"But your company was involved in making it for the military—you must have some left."

"We do…but I don't think."

"_Please!" _He reared back at the sound of her voice. Kim realized and fought herself into a semblance of normality.

"Dr. Drakken is working on some gadget that uses biological systems." Kim said, thinking fast. "We think that this could neutralize it…but Global Justice doesn't have any in their stocks… could you?" He looked at her. Anyone else, and he'd be on the phone to the cops, but this was Kim Possible, after all. He keyed in a request, and moments later a clerk came out with a box.

"120 capsules… " He paused, "I don't know what you're using it on, but the dosages are rated for a 200 lb. man." He paused again, "Please…_don't_ lose track of this—it makes PCP and Meph look like a nightcap."

"Don't worry." Kim said, taking the box under her arm.

"And…it's good to see you up."

"No big." Kim said, smiling at him. "I'm pretty much over it." She walked away, casually walking until she was out of sight, and then she quickly jogged back home.

* * *

Mom was waiting for her.

"Young lady?" Ms. Possible asked.

"I'm sorry mom… I just wanted to get out, into the sun." Her mother smiled. That was a good sign.

"So you slept better last night?"

"Pretty much—I think the nightmares are going away." Her mom gave her an impulsive hug.

"That's my Kimmie…but I'm here if you need to talk.

"Thanks, mom." Kim said. "I think I can go back to school tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" Ms. Possible paused, "Ron won't be there…he ah, had an argument with some students…and well, he's been suspended for the week."

"What?" Then Kim frowned. "I bet it was about me, wasn't it…if someone beat him up, I'm-"

"Not going to do anything." Her mother paused, "And although I can't be happy about how violent he was, a little bird named Barkin told me that some people got what they richly deserved." Kim smiled.

"Don't worry mom… I can handle it."

"OK…" Her mom said, looking doubtful. "But if you start getting worried, don't pull a stiff upper lip—you father and I understand if you need some time."

"Thanks mom…you're the greatest." Kim said, then walked into her room. She carefully locked the door. Her parents didn't come in often but… She shivered. If mom had asked about the box…

Speaking of it… it was small, the capsules smaller than the average aspirin tablet. Kim looked at it, and took one out, reading the instructions on the inside of the box, full of dire warnings about over dosage and side effects. One which was no sleep. She popped a single tablet in her mouth and waited for the effect as she hid the box between the slats of her bed.

Then, it happened. It was like a soundless thunderbolt in her head. She could hear the birds outside, feel her heart thudding. The weariness and pain fell away magically. She didn't have to worry about _anything_! Possible? She was invincible! Kim giggled softly, feeling the energy run through her body and started jogging in place. She couldn't stand still! In fact, her room hadn't been cleaned in like forever, so she could start doing that…then she could sweep and give her parents a gift to pay them back for all the worrying she'd put them through.

"Right, time to sweep, sweep, sweep!" She said, "and then back to school, to work work work!" She did a pirouette in her room, effortlessly supporting her body weight on her toes.

* * *

When her parents got home, the twins were looking on in awe. The entire house was spotless, cleaned, even the front yard had been mowed.

"Kimmie!" Mr. Possible said. His daughter was _smiling_, like nothing had ever gone wrong. Except for her hands, there was no sign of damage. Could it be? Could she have broken free?

"I…had some time on my hands." Kim said, bouncing on the heels of her feet.

"I see…"

"In fact, I think that maybe-"

"No." Mr. Possible said. "No missions. Not for a while yet." _Not forever_. He wanted to say, but she hadn't been on a mission, when it…had happened.

"oh…ok, No big." Kim said, and her father looked suspicious. Kimmie had never been that fast to surrender…but on the other hand, she had never lied…well at least she'd only lied to them once, and _that_ disaster had apparently turned her off that particular teen age practice.

"But I would like to go to school tomorrow." She said. The two looked at her and nodded.

"If you're feeling well." Ms. Possible said.

The rest of the night was spent talking and laughing. By common agreement, the events of the past few weeks were ignored, and if Kim seemed full of energy, well it was to be expected. Finally, the parents declared that it was time for bed, and Kim went without protest.

* * *

In their room, her parents prepared for bed, Mr. Possible staring at the pictures of Kim.

"Hun?" Ms. Possible asked, "what are you thinking?"

"How to tell our daughter that her superhero days are over…at least for now." He sighed. "She could be dead today... "

"But she isn't." Ms. Possible observed. To some extent she had been easier with the fact that Kimmie was growing up than her father had been.

"Because of luck…and some 'villains' who are anything but." Mr. Possible said. "I want our daughter to grow up, have children, and one day have them look at her and realize she just doesn't _get_ it."

"But if…"

"I don't mean she should stop everything…but she doesn't have to have a rogues gallery… and she especially doesn't need to be in the spotlight so much that every person seeking to make a rep wants to take her." Her father shuddered. "As terrible as it was, we were _lucky_—what if he'd simply walked up to her on the way to school and pulled out a gun?" Kim's mother nodded, sadly.

"I'll talk to her about it… but we have some time, at least until she feels up to it again." She paused, "Then expect some fireworks."

* * *

In her room, Kim had lain in bed for a few minutes, but was up and bouncing in place. She wasn't tired at all—and even if she had gone to sleep, no nightmare could hit her now!

Except… well she had to do something, and she'd missed a lot of homework. Sitting down (and checking the TV to make certain it was just loud enough so nobody would hear her.) she started answering question after question. At this rate, she'd be finished well before morning. Kim gave a grin to the mirror and bent down at her task.

* * *

The next day, everyone at school blinked as Kim came charging, into the class in her trademark school clothes. Monique blinked.

"Kim…, are you ok?"

"Never better, Monique—I just had to work some things out." The sixteen year old handed in a pile of work to the teacher.

"Here you go, Ms. Trask—I got the last of it finished last night." The teacher looked shocked.

"Kim, you didn't have to…"

"No big." Kim said. Ms. Trask grinned. That girl was unstoppable!

For the entire day, Monique stuck with Kim, and it seemed like she was even better than she'd been before, if that was possible. There was no cheer practice—Tara and Bonnie were both missing, and Monique noticed that Kim didn't press the point. It was a bit much to expect her to do _everything._ Monique thought…and she'd packed away a lot during lunch. No doubt trying to beat out Ron.

The only puzzling thing happened at the end of the day. Kim was talking to her, and just suddenly seemed to…run down.

"Hey Girlfriend." Monique said, concerned. As Kim sagged against the wall on the way out of school. "You want a Bueno Nacho snack break?"

"No…ah….I think I overdid it a little today, Monique." Kim grinned at her, and Monique blinked at the gray tinge to her face. "I think I'll just…walk home." She said. Kim weaved a little, then blinked at the sight of her mother's car. "Oh…on the other hand, I'll drive with mom…bye!" Monique watched as her friend walked down, actually weaving a little.

"You OK, Kimmie?" Ms. Possible asked.

"I think I overdid the day, mom… do you mind if we just go home?"

"Not at all." Her mother answered. "I'll fix an early dinner for you."

"Thanks." Kim said. "You're the greatest."

* * *

Later that night, Kim begged off any evening activities. Ron was still grounded beyond belief, which mean she couldn't talk to him…but her mom had told her that was as much for appearances, as anything else. If it looked like Ron was being punished, he might not get into any more trouble….although his family was going to be paying some medical bills. Even through her exhaustion, Kim blinked.

"Medical bills?" Ms. Possible reddened.

"Ah…one of the boys fell, and hurt himself." _Which wasn't exactly a lie…they did fall and one did crack his head open on the way down._ Of course, that was worth a few stitches, as opposed to a shattered knee cap.

"OK…" Kim said, looking disappointed.

"Don't worry, Kimmie—he might be back at school on Monday." Kim smiled at that, and went to her room.

She lay down on the bed, and closed her eyes. She'd been active all day, so she should be fine, just nap for a bit.

_Her legs weren't moving, and she wasn't in a coffin, but at the bottam of a pit. HE was snapping pictures of her, holding her shirt, as he grinned. Then, he had a shovel. _

_"Remember, worms need food too." _

Kim bolted upright, gasping, feeling the sweat trickle down her body. It wasn't fair. _It wasn't fair!._ A look at the clock showed that she'd been asleep for only a few hours. She couldn't last like that. She needed… Kim blinked and thought about it. She'd used her reputation to get the first drug—and it was a combat drug to keep you from sleeping. If she could get another one, maybe from the hospital…she wouldn't dream... but it'd have to be powerful. Yeah. She could do that…

But what if they didn't give it to her? Every time she asked, there was a chance that someone would call her mother. She couldn't let that happen. Even now, the idea of trying to go to school, without the feeling of invincibility, the energy, buffering her fear, was intolerable. She couldn't. She… But she knew where the hospitals drug cabinet was…and she knew the combination…and the hospital was no secret lair…

She could do it tonight, after everyone was asleep…but she couldn't do it with her head full of cotton. She reached down to her hiding place and got another pill. Another dose…another boost to keep her from falling back into that black pit.

"Just for a while…" She said, murmuring to herself. "I just need it for a while."

_But you never felt so invincible… not even before. _Kim swallowed it quickly…and then shuddered as the godlike power seemed to fill her. She had to wait…she had to wait until everyone was asleep, but if she didn't move she'd explode. Kim grinned. She had a report to do!.

* * *

"Mr. Barkin?" Steve Barkin looked up at Ms. Trask. The young history teacher looked nervous.

"Yes, Susan?" He asked. She came in and sat down.

"It's…about Kim Possible." Barkin leaned forward.

"She seemed to have a better day today." He said.

"Yes…but there are some problems with her homework…it was _very_ sloppy…not at all like her." He blinked.

"Given what has just happened, I'm hoping you're not surprised." Susan did tend to focus on the minutia. She was young yet—Barkin knew that many kids joked about him behind his back, but they needed structure…and the teachers needed to understand that academic work wasn't always the most important, or even the main objective of the students school—they could get academic knowledge from an internet connection these days—how to _use_ that knowledge, and work with others, was quite a different matter.

"No…it's just that she was really happy, proud even… and well…" Trask put a stack of papers on his desk. "She did 56 pages of work, and from the date she put down, it was all the same day." Barkin blinked and picked it up. Trask liked to assign essays, and so much of the homework was in that form.

The writing started out in Kim's neat handwriting…but as it continued, it started missing punctuation, got sloppier. Barkin frowned. The ideas were less clear, too, full of run-on sentences, and topics going all over the place…like someone just talking rapidly, saying the first thing that came to their mind—completely unlike Possible—completely unlike the first questions, answered on the _same_ day. The last papers were completely illegible, her handwriting an unreadable scrawl, no space between words or even questions.

"I can't even understand what she's saying on the last pages—I mean, I deciphered the words, but they don't make any _sense_."

"What grade was she getting before this?" Barkin asked.

"An A, of course."

"That's what she's getting for the course. Accept her homework and tests, forward them to me, but don't grade any of it."

"Sir, the regulations…"

"Are waived—my authority and I'll put that note in her file, just in case anyone from the State Board of Education makes noises…and Susan?"

"Yes?"

"Don't bring this up to anyone…" She looked at him, and nodded, then left.

Barkin leaned back in his chair. Drugs? _Kim?_ Or just a response to her ordeal? If he even hinted drugs, she'd be suspended during a full investigation, and the zero tolerance laws mandated expulsion, regardless of the reason, if even one tranquilizer was found…hell if even one aspirin bottle was found!

That would ruin her life. No college, maybe even a criminal record… After everything else, it would break her.

But if it was drugs… that would ruin her life as well….

Steve got up and paced in his office. Every person in his station had a wall of the successes. The students who were the talk of the town. Steve opened a drawer and looked at his other students…his failures. Police records, sentences…morgue reports. The students who nobody could reach, who retreated into their shells, lashing out to hurt everyone else…or who were just unlucky. Could that be Kim, one day, a gravestone, or jail cell occupant, with people wondering what had happened to her promise?

Yes. Certainly…and whether he did nothing or something, he might contribute to it…share the blame. But he was bound by law. Steve Barkin was no petty tyrant, hiding behind school rules when they suited him, and abandoning them when they didn't. If he found conclusive proof, he would have to report it, and go through the whole bloody mess. He needed…. Yes.

"Well, this call isn't to the president…" He said, as he picked up the phone.

"Hello Mr. Stoppable… yes, I just wanted to tell you that Ron will not be charged."

"Why? Well, a little bird told me that the Attorney General of the United States discussed the legal matter with the parents. It seems that some of the students had been making anti-Jewish slurs earlier that day, in the hearing of the other students. Given that that would make it a federal hate crime…well, all concerned agreed that since you were paying for the hospital bills, and they _had_ attacked, it might be best if any criminal or civil charges were just dropped all around."

"No, don't thank me. Ron was in the wrong, but… I understand his point. I assume you discussed with him as well?" Barkin smiled, "At length and at volume. Heh." He paused. "You wouldn't? I can see why…no I don't think they really were…just some bullies who thought they had an easy target… I'll, eh, call you a liar if you ever say this, but if they take a lesson from this, Ron may have saved them from jail…or a morgue. I'm certain they're no longer so eager to pick on 'helpless' marks." The two men chatted a bit more. Barkin saw where Ron had gotten some of his act—and deeper morality from. Then, he got to the meat of the matter.

"I'd like Ron to come back on Monday." He paused, listening. "I understand. If it was just that, I might agree to keep him out for a while longer…but it isn't Ron…It's Kim." He paused, "Mr. Stoppable, I think that Kim _isn't _over this, by a long shot, and I'm concerned…no, I 'm afraid for her. I can't tell her parents, officially, because that starts a process I can't stop. And if it isn't what I think it might be… I could just end up wrecking her. She trusts your son." He paused, and fell silent for a moment.

"_I_ trust your son. He could have demolished those bullies any time. He didn't, and I don't think a single student at this school would have held back if they'd had his abilities. It was only the comments about Kim that set him off. He's a good kid…and one that Kim trusts…and one who knows her better than anyone else. She needs him."

"Tell him?" Barkin leaned back, rubbing his nose. "No…I don't think so. I don't _know_ anything, and I don't want to inadvertently point him in the wrong direction…in fact, I think if he sees anything, he should talk to you, not me. You can decide if it's something I need to know… or take action on. No. No, thank _you." _Steve hung up the phone.

_Did I do the right thing?_ Ron was also 16… If he grabbed Kim right now, what did he have? Bad homework from someone who had just been buried alive. In fact, all he had was a very bad feeling that something very terrible was building up. He would have to trust Ron…and trust Ron to come to his father when he found out something.

* * *

It was 3AM at Middleton hospital. The main building, like all major hospitals, was busy, with patients and doctors, coming and going. But the pharmacy was closed. A slim figure, dressed in black, descended from the ceiling, bypassing all the alarms. A finger picked out the entry code to the restricted medications cabinet.. and then opened it, removed several boxes and closed it. Moving silently, the figure then went to the computer terminal, and keyed in the code for the clerk at the Pharmacy. A few keystrokes, and the hospital inventory was changed, matching what was now in the cabinet.

"No big…" The figure whispered to herself as she reversed the process, leaving the room in darkness.

To be continued.


	4. Broken in the Dust again

_Part IV. Broken in the Dust Again…

* * *

_

"Kim? Kim!" Kim woke up to see her mothers concerned face. "Your alarm has been going off." Kim shook her head, trying to rid herself of that floating sensation.

"I'm sorry mom…I guess with all the nightmares, I've been having, when I didn't have one, I kinda…went to sleep hard."

"Well, that's to be expected." Her mother said, smiling and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The last two days had been very odd, Dr. Possible had to admit. Kim had alternated between exhausted and bouncing off the walls. Ron hadn't been able to come over, and in fact, the family had spent the weekend in—her husband had nearly punched out a photographer who had offered him 1000 dollars for any candid shots taken from the hospital… But now it was Monday, a school day, and hopefully, she prayed, that this week would sign a new start. Kimmie had suffered enough.

"Hey Kim!" Ron shouted and ran over to her. Kim squealed and gave him a hug that got somewhat more…personal, until Mr. Barkin, handling front duty, gave a tiny cough.

"That's enough, Stoppable." Ron blushed and relinquished Kim.

"You look better…" He said,

"I'm great!" She grinned, "Look at the homework I got done!" Ron pulled it out and grinned.

"That's my KP…and I'm probably getting another F." He finished, reading it and concealing his shock. Ron was no scholar…but some of the writing here looked like a 3rd graders, other parts looked fine, and some parts weren't even on the page.

"Oops! There's the bell," Kim said, and Ron noticed that she was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. Heading up the walkway, Ron had to trot to keep up with her. _Way too much energy._ He thought.

The rest of the day was like that. In ever class, Kim was all over the place, practically unable to sit down. Answers to questions came out fast—sometimes jumbled. Ron frowned.

Then, right after school, right before Cheerleading practice, Kim seemed to deflate. Ron came out of the bathroom, finding her leaning on the side of the hallway, trembling.

"KP…what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Ron…"

"Right…." Ron said, and Kim glared at him.

"OK, if you _must_ know, in addition to everything else, it's my time of the month." She said, "Hold this." She continued, giving Ron her books as she walked into the bathroom.

Inside, Kim went to the furthest stall. Right now, there was nobody in the room, but she didn't want to take a chance. Sitting down, she opened the purse, and went for the small plastic bottle…the one with the pills.

"Why is it wearing off…" She said. It hadn't lasted as long this time. She needed to…

_Kimmie_. It was his voice. Kim looked around wildly for the source. He was dead…she'd heard he was dead, even if her mother didn't want her to know all the details. He couldn't be alive. Could he? And how had he known where she was… Kim shook her head. She couldn't think with her head all full of cobwebs. She needed the clarity the pills brought. So what if it was a little early, she could take the tranquilizers if she needed to sleep that night. She popped the pill in her mouth…and waited for the rush.

It came, but not as fast as it had before…she felt strong, proud…but not as indestructible. There was still the feeling of fear in the back of her mind, that voice, that hateful voice, and the worry that there were others. She should…maybe she should take one more… Kim waited, pulled a pill out…and then put it back.

No. Not right now. Maybe later. She was fine. She would handle it. She could do it.

Cheerleading practice was next, and Kim managed to keep the day going well, although her precision was way off. She giggled at that and confessed that she'd been off on her training lately. Bonnie and Tara were at opposite ends of the team, but suddenly both looked at her, hard. Ron was also trying his routine, but honestly, he just wasn't in the "Maddog, mood" right now. Something was wrong with Kim… really wrong. On the way home, Ron talked to Kim, trying to keep her on one subject for more than a second.

In the middle of a word, Kim suddenly whipped around and looked behind them.

"Ron, did you see that?" Ron blinked and took a look at the empty street.

"What, KP?"

"Nothing... I guess."

_This isn't working._ Ron thought, and then when they stopped by Kim's house after Bueno Nacho (where Kim had, amazingly, eaten more than Ron), he took the opportunity poised by Kim's using the bathroom to speak with her mother.

"Dr. P…have you noticed anything weird about Kim?" Dr. Possible frowned. Ron was certainly being obtuse.

"Beyond being buried alive?" Ron shook his head.

"That didn't come out right—but recently…she's either full of energy, or… I don't know, just gone…and her mind seems to be, well…random." Dr. Possible stopped and stared at the door Kim had vanished through.

_Those could be symptoms… her_ doctor's thought, but she steeled herself. _No. It's not that—Kim is having mood swings because of what she's been through. You've seen it enough._ She said as much to Ron, who nodded, especially when Dr. P asked him about the Cheerleading squad, definitely putting an end to the subject. Ron frowned even more.

_Dr. P…you're not seeing what you don't want to see. _

Ron stayed as long as he could, but before eight, Kim was wilting, and she looked at him with a tired smile.

"Ron… I think I need to hit the sack… I may have overdone it today."

"Hey, no problem, KP… good to see you getting back in action!" Ron said, waving and doing the "stupid Ron stunt" out the door, which got a laugh, even as Kim headed to her room.

But before he got to his door, Ron was bent over, thinking…a frown on his face. When he got to his house, he made a decision, and turned on the computer.

"Hey Ron." Wade said. Ron smiled—Wade had been in and out helping Kim keep track of her work while she was hospitalized—even come out to see her physically, although Ron hadn't been around then, so Wade was still very much a "virtual" partner.

"Wade… I need you to do a data search for me."

"Sure. What on?" Ron paused, "any missing drugs in the Middleton area, like uppers or downers." Wade paused and then looked at Ron.

"This is about Kim, isn't it?"

"How do you know?"

"Because I can't think of anything else you would worry about."

"Well, it is…but I can't be sure, and I don't want to get her in…trouble." Ron said, "Dr. P doesn't think there's a problem, but I… I don't know, I'm worried." Wade smiled.

"If Dr. P doesn't think there's a problem, there probably isn't, but I'll do it anyway. Don't worry Ron."

"Thanks." Ron said. Then he paused, "And one more thing."

"What?"

"Can you get me Shego's phone number?"

* * *

Drakken's Lair was quiet. When they'd returned, after disposing of a certain individual, Drakken had started work on a new doomsday device…but it was a strangely haphazard job. He'd work, stop and think, and work a little again…but his mind wasn't on his work.

Shego was frowning, holding some DVD's and scrolling down the internet.

"What is that, Shego?"

"Our genius recorded his exploits." She said shortly. "Both what he said and he did."

"How long did he have her?" Drakken said, surprised, "he couldn't have taken that much time."

"He didn't—he had at least five minicams. He was proud of himself…"

"Have you…"

"I fast forwarded through most of it." She paused, "Now I'm making certain he didn't make any more copies—and if any fatboy puts these online, he's going to have a little problem with breathing." Drakken sighed.

"And those?"

"I… I don't know." Shego said. "Part of me thinks that her parents need to see this, it might help Kimmie…but the other part says they shouldn't see this, ever…_I_ wish I hadn't seen it…or heard it." Abruptly, she made a decision. A flick of her wrist and the disks vanished down the disposal slot. "Kimmie's parents are smart—they don't need a movie to realize their daughter went through hell." Drakken nodded.

"Why are we concerned?" He said, more thoughtfully than he often sounded.

"It isn't as if we've put her in death traps, fought her, tried to beat her." Shego looked up at him.

"But never… like that." She paused, "It was always by the rules…"

"Yes." Drakken said. "I'm getting tired of this you know." He turned and walked over to his doomsday device.

"What do you mean?"

"What if we won, Shego? What if we conquered the world? I thought about that on the way back here…and I didn't have the answer." He paused. "I sometimes wonder if the point _was_ our fights with Kim Possible." He frowned. "But in any case… I've been thinking about putting some of my inventions on the open market."

"Dr. D, there's the little matter that we're both wanted…"

"True, but there are ways around that." He looked over at Shego. "And I noticed that you haven't explained _your_ interest in Possible." Shego paused and looked, surprisingly, nervous.

"I…I think she reminds me of me, before…all this. When I was with my family…" Her voice trailed off. "Never mind. Hopefully, we'll be back to the old grind… I hope." It was then that her phone rang. Shego blinked and picked it up.

"Yeah? _Stoppable?_ What is it… I see…. Oh_ crap_. I… I can be there in an hour. No, don't worry—you and Kimmie did get all our secret lairs in Middleton. I'll call you then." She flipped the phone off and tried to look angry, but succeeded in looking disturbed.

"What is it, Shego?" Shego sighed.

"I think we'll be a while before we get back to the grind."

* * *

In her room, Kim paced, occasionally moaning softly, putting her hands to her ears. What had gone _wrong?_ The pills weren't working well anymore—she'd run out of steam half way through the day, then right before Cheerleader practice, and had to take a new one each time. Every time, it seemed like the duration grew less…and when the feeling ended, she felt like she could barely move.

_Well, you could just die…_ She pressed her ears with her hands tightly enough to hurt. _HE_ kept talking now. It had to be her imagination, It just _had_ to be. But she could have sworn she saw him, out of the corner of her eye as they were walking home.

_Maybe Ron helped me set you up…or your mother…can you be sure?_

"Shut up, Shut up, _Shut__ up!" _She hissed, remembering at the last moment to keep her voice down.

_Sorry… or maybe Bonnie the slut set you up…she wants your place remember…maybe she decided to speed things along. You can see it in her eyes…she hates you._ Kim sat down on her bed. It couldn't be Bonnie…but they'd always… and some of the things she did. What about her mother… her mother should have come and gotten her, or called…why didn't she?

"No. This is crazy." She said to herself. Why was the room so small and confined? Kim went to her hiding place and got the box of tranquilizers. She'd already taken one, but for some reason, even though she didn't have the energy… it hadn't put her to sleep. She would take another one. It was over the dosage, but just this once. Just this once. Kim thought, putting it into her mouth. Just this once. She thought again, as she lay down, shivering.

But as she slept through the night it was not a restful sleep. Kim kept twitching and flinching, reacting to unheard gibes and comments…

To be continued….


	5. Terror is on Every Side

Part V.

Terror is on every side.

* * *

Ron snuck out of his house, heading straight to Shego's hide out. When he got there, he was surprised to see her standing, in an overcoat, waiting for him.

"Let's get inside—as amusing as a chase would be right now… I don't want the cops involved." Inside, Ron told her everything, about Barkin, Kim, her reactions… Shego frowned.

"Yep, Kimmie's losing it, bigtime, I'd say." She sighed. "That Barkin of yours isn't dumb, but we may not have much time."

"Why don't Mr. and Ms. P see it?" Ron said. Shego shook her head.

"See what? Their Kimmie is falling apart?" Shego looked at Ron in annoyance. "The naïve act isn't gonna help you here, Stoppable. Kim's parents are seeing what they _need_ to see—that Kimmie has had a real terrible experience, but the girl who 'can do anything' is pushing through it." She bit her lip, "And I don't know anyway to convince them otherwise that doesn't involve a complete meltdown…not to mention that I'm really not a…credible source."

"So what do we do?" Ron asked. Shego looked at him.

"For now, you keep watching. We need to figure out if this is… just a nervous breakdown, or something else. Your idea with Wade was good—but Kimmie _also_ knows about Wade…so I don't know if she'd be dumb enough to break in…_if_ she's scoring drugs."

"Search her room?"

"Maybe…but if we're wrong and you do that, you've probably driven her away…that's a pretty big betrayal of trust your talking about." Shego chewed her lower lip. "Tomorrow—we give her one more day, and if that doesn't work, we start kicking in doors." She gave a ghostly smile. "Go home and get some sleep before you fall over, Ron." Ron blinked, she'd _never_ used his first name before. Before he could say anything, she made a shooing gesture with her hand, a flicker of green fire around it. "Go. Now. Before I have to beat you unconscious." Ron nodded, walking back, so deep in thought he almost missed his house…because when he did brainstorming, it was usually with Kim. Abruptly, Ron clenched his eyes shut against the hot tears that spilled out of them. Boys, didn't cry… but what else could he do? Not help Kim, that was certain… Ron stopped and waited. Waited until he was certain his sobs wouldn't wake his parents…until he could see again.

Then he went into his house.

* * *

The day was overcast, drizzling, when Kim woke up. Her night had been filled with half remembered nightmares, the tranquilizers hadn't done _anything_…except keep her from waking up. She was sweating and chilly at the same time… She took one pill and waited. To her horror…nothing happened.

_What's wrong? Maybe I slipped some empties… Maybe that scientist you thought 'owed' you a favor is really working for me? _

Kim shook her head frantically, a tiny whimper escaping. The shadows on the walls seemed to take on twisting and obscene forms, and she knew there was someone in her closet. Looking at her, leering at her, pawing her body with his mind. When she whipped it open… nothing. Nothing…. But a mocking whisper seemed to follow her as she turned around, trying to clear her head.

It wasn't working. It had to be defective… Kim took another pill, and then another. She started getting a new feeling, her nerves keyed up beyond belief. She could hear everyone talking… talking about her.

Plotting about her.

Kim bit her lip and tried to force herself to be calm. Nobody could know. If they did they would find the pills…and they would take her away. It was the excuse they wanted. Maybe… maybe that had been their plan all along, to get her to take the pills, so they could have the excuse they wanted to put her in a box, in a cell, lightless and airless, like a coffin… Kim's hand's were shaking so badly she couldn't pack her bag for school… where she had to go, or they'd know she was on to them. Another. One more. One more pill. That was only three more than the instructions. That would be okay. It would be fine. She would handle it…she would handle them… Then Kim paused, some ragged sense of self preservation screaming at her from her hind brain. She should wait... she should wait at least a few minutes..maybe hours.

_Why? Take it now. Take them all now…_

"Oh God…." Kim moaned. Nobody could help her…they were all waiting for her to fall.

When the Twins saw Kim walk down the stairs, they became quiet. There was something about her, something dangerous, the way her eyes seemed to glitter, the pupils huge against her pale face.

"Tim…Jim… I'm walking to school now." Kim said, "Tell Mom I left."

"But…"

"_Tell her._" Kim snarled. And the two fell silent, fear on their faces.

Kim ran out of the house, not bothering to eat. It was probably poisoned anyway. She'd have to be careful where she ate or drank… who knew how many people were in on this. Kim forced herself to be calm. She could do it. There was no practice today (_That slut Bonnie sniffing around Ron)_, and so she could relax, come home, and make plans.

The day crawled as far as Ron was concerned. Kim wasn't as hyperactive as normal…but now she was almost worse. She watched everyone. When Ms. Trask handed her some papers, he could have sworn that Kim twitched into the beginning of an attack. When she looked at him, her eyes were hooded and suspicious and she didn't talk to him at all. The soft mutter of thunder from the storm outside, that had finally broken, kept Ron's nerves on edge.

Kim went to her locker and then almost slapped herself for her stupidity. Wade, with his microchips…he tracked Ron, he probably tracked her. Always smiling, always laughing, when they didn't know who he was…just what he showed. She let her teeth show. She'd make up accounts with _him_.

She turned and left. Ron was waiting for her at the front, so she'd go out the back.

* * *

Back at home, the Twins were considering a plan.

"I don't think we should…" Jim said,

"Something's weird about sis." Tim countered, "maybe its some mind control ray or something." The two looked at each other, and nodded. Their school was out, Kim wouldn't be back for at least thirty minutes, and well…it was in a good cause.

They snuck into her bedroom and were stopped in shock. The room was…oddly disorded. Mirrors had been turned to face the wall, the pillows and sheets were flung about, and the bed itself seemed to have been moved.

"I think…let's check the bed." Tim said, more nervously then before. The two walked up to the bed… and a moments search came up with two boxes, one of small black pills and one of white pills.

"What should we do?"

"Call mom?" Tim shook his head.

"We'll be in so much trouble…and we might get sis in trouble…let's call Wade and have him call Ron!"

"Hoo-Sha!"

* * *

"Where is she?" Ron muttered. The bus was getting ready to leave..and then his (well, actually Kim's spare, but he was holding it) Kimmunicator beeped.

"Go Wade." He blinked. Wade looked seriously worried.

"Ron…Is Kim with you?"

"No. Why?"

"Because the twins went into her room…and found some pills. They were hidden in the bed. " Wade continued, "They wanted me to call you." Ron's mind gibbered for a moment. Pills.

_Oh God._ If Kim had been supposed to have them, they would have been in the Kitchen, in her mom's medical bag…anywhere but her room. He should… No. He couldn't do this himself. He needed help.

"Wade, Call Shego, and tell her to go to the house and find out what those pills are… Call Mr. and Ms. P and tell them as well."

"But Ron…" Wade said, "Kim will…"

"I _don't care, _Wade. Kim's sick. She needs help, and we have to do this. I'm going to find Mr. Barken. Call me when you have something to tell me." Ron turned and ran up to Mr. Barkin who was chewing out a pair of freshmen for riding skateboards.

"Mr. B, I need to talk to you, _right now._ About Kim." Barkin, without missing a beat, sent the two on their way. The moment they were out of earshot, Ron told him everything.

"Damn." Barkin said. Ron blinked, Mr. B, _never_ cussed. Then he jumped as Barkin turned and slammed a fist into the lockers. "I should have taken action immediately… I'd hoped…" He shook his head and pulled out his walkie-talkie. Minutes later, the intercoms spoke.

"Kim Possible, please report to the office. Kim Possible, to the office."

There was no answer.

* * *

Wade's frantic call had brought Ms. Possible and her husband back home in record time. What they found there shocked them. The Twins were in the living room and Shego was vanishing up into Kim's room.

"Shego…what are you doing?" Mr. Possible shouted. The "answer" caused everyone to blink.

"Oh _shit." _Another pause. "Get up here, now." The two adults came into Kim's room, blinking at the changes, then paling at the sight of the two boxes of pills on the bed.

"I don't know what this is." Shego said, tossing one box to Dr. Possible. She read it and blanced even whiter.

"Tranquilizers… powerful, ones." She blinked, "Kimmie shouldn't even be able to _walk_ with this…much less be coherent. A single pill would last someone of her body weight at least 12 hours."

"Nope, not with this." Shego said. _"I _know what this is—this is Psychotropen. "

"I've seen the name…what does it do?" Ms. Possible asked.

"I'm not surprised—it's not a medical drug—it's a combat cocktail—take a soldier, turn him into an unstoppable force, stay awake for days, move like a cheetah, hit like a bull."

"Why isn't it used?" Mr. Possible asked, dreading the answer.

"Because unstoppable forces are not nice to have around if they're also psychotic forces." Suddenly, Ms. Possible fell to the bed, gasping.

"Oh God…oh God no…._Kimmie_." She shook her head. "Shego, I know why she could take the tranquilizers—she was taking the combat drug to stay awake but she couldn't sleep with it and so she took the…oh God…the interactions between the two drugs…"

"Could?" Shego asked.

"Enhance the effects of the Psychotropen." She paused, "especially psychological effects." The twins had come up and Jim spoke up.

"When Kim left, she was looking at us like we were…scary…she didn't eat or drink anything." Ms. Possible was a doctor, and now that she was thinking in the right vein, it didn't take long.

"She might be going paranoid—believing everyone is out to get her." Shego's phone rang.

"Yeah? Crap. Worse than that Ron… Keep looking for her, but _be careful._ I'm heading out_"_ Shego put the phone back. "Kim's vanished. Ron and Barkin are looking for her."

"Well go-"

"No." Shego said.

"She's _our_ d-" Mr. Possible started, but Shego overrode him.

"She's a better fighter than me, and you are telling me that she's possibly a paranoid crazy woman. In any case, you need to go to the hospital and figure out, what those two pills do in tandem, and how to undo it." She paused, and a smile played across her face. "You think that's bad? Do you know how often I've _dreamed_ of taking Kim Possible down, and now I have to rescue her?" Shego didn't wait for an answer, but headed down the stairs and out into the rain. Mr. And Ms. Possible shared tear filled gazes. She was her daughter…but she might-

"Jim, Tim, you might be able to help us at the hospital." Mr. Possible said. Yes. That was true…and much better than saying he no longer trusted the safety of his twins to his only daughter.

Kim walked along, not feeling the rain. Her bag lay abandoned a block away. It had tracking devices in it, after all. In one hand she clenched a bottle of the pills. She should have taken the rest, she thought, she couldn't go back home.

_No you can't. They'll be waiting for you… remember how close it was at the school? They wanted you in the office, where they could deal with you at their leaisure… like Ron, trying to get close to you. _

Kim giggled, than gasped as a feeling of dizziness came over her. She needed another pill, and now, the only voices she heard were of her pursuers, legions of them. It had barely gone down her throat when she felt a warmth, and gasped. The storm was irrelevant now…but she knew where she was…and she would deal with her. The bitch. The bitch who had been against her all her life.

Bonnie.

Idly, Kim wondered what her neck would sound like when she broke it.

* * *

Ironically, there _were_ tracking devices in her bag—and if Kim had been in her right mind, she would have remembered that she had Wade install them. Ron lept out of Barkin's car and looked at them.

"Where is she!" He screamed, and the clouds answered him with thunder. Then a green clad form had appeared by him.

"Get in the car." Shego ordered. Barkin looked at her when the two of them got in.

"You're…"

"Yeah, yeah… evil supervillaness. More important things right now. Kimmie is hopped up on a combination of tranquilizers and a combat drug that could keep a soldier on his feet with a fist sized hole in his head." She looked at Barkin. "She's also probably having a complete psychotic breakdown….and persecution complex."

"Great." Barkin muttered. "Where is she."

"Oh, God…I know."

"What?"

"Bonnie. Bonnie lives near here… you know how competitive they are…would that…"

"Oh yeah…" Shego said. "Punch it, teacher boy." Barkin didn't hesitate as the car leapt forward.

* * *

Bonnie was on the phone to Tara, listening to the storm behind her.

"I know Tara… No, I'm not mad…but Kim… She's, I don't know, she's not right. I know that would do it to anyone—I'd be gibbering, but." The cheerleader tried to phrase it correctly, "Kim has to be… the hero. I don't know if she _can_ ask for help. Well, maybe from Ron, and-" Bonnie looked up in shock as the front door was kicked off its hinges, flying across the room. Kim stood, framed, her feverish, glittering eyes fixing Bonnie. Bonnie gave a squeak and dropped the phone.

"k-Kim?" She asked, and then cried out as Kim covered the distance between them in a single leap.

"Miss me, _BonBon?_" Kim hissed, her mad eyes terrifying Bonnie. "It didn't work, you know? You tried to bury me in that hole, with the maggots and the worms, but it didn't work… I dug my way out!" Kim started giggling, a shrill, unnatural sound. Bonnie whimpered, trying to back up, but Kim grabbed her, and slung her around into the wall, knocked the breath out of her, and incidentally pulling her shirt down, exposing her breasts.

"I knew you wanted it, you wanted Ron, you wanted my place…and you got sick of waiting, didn't you." Bonnie didn't say anything, as Kim reached up and viciously twisted her ear. Bonnie cried out in pain. "_Didn't you!"_ She screamed, spittle flecking Bonnie's face.

"Oh God…Kim…something's wrong, you're sick…please, Kim, I didn't do anything." Bonnie tried to put together a more coherent sentence, but everytime she looked into those eyes…oh God, those eyes. They were empty, glittering, like a cobra she'd seen on a nature show as a small child…a show that had given her nightmares for months. Part of her mind saw that Tara had hung up the phone. Why?

* * *

"Yes, please, hurry!" Tara said, nearly gibbering. The operator didn't wait for verification. The girl was terrified.

* * *

"Ron!" Wade called. "There's a 911 Call to the Middleton police! Someone just broke into Bonnie's house!" Ron gave a groan.

"Why did I have to be right _this _time." He paused. "Anything else Wade?"

"Yeah…the operator has tried to call, but no answer."

* * *

Bonnie had gone beyond words. She couldn't talk, as Kim dragged her irresistibly back into the living room, and slammed her down on the floor, straddling her.

"Maybe I could fix things between us…" Kim said, and abruptly adopted a caring voice. "We shouldn't be enemies…should we?" She gripped Bonnie by the chin, so hard that Bonnie felt her jaw creek. Bonnie's wrists were imprisoned in Kim's other hand, already going numb from the incredible strength the teen was displaying. Sometimes she paused, like other people were talking to her. Once or twice, Kim even answered them.

"You're right! Bonnie thinks she's prettier than me. Maybe she is. Oh, thank you...you're too kind." She looked back down.

"Or maybe I could make you look… less attractive…yes…you have knives in the kitchen, I bet… did I ever mention Mom is a doctor when she isn't selling me out? She showed me knives, brighty flighty knives…" She said, her voice turning into a childish sing song.

_Good, show the bitch. _

Kim got up, and pulled Bonnie to her feet. The other girl could only moan, her legs limp as Kim started to pull her across the room.

"That's enough, Kimmie." The voice came from the door. Bonnie looked, blinking through her tears. There were three people in the doorway. Mr. Barkin, Ron and a woman clad in green and black, fire dancing along her hands. Barkin spoke next.

"Kimberly…put her down. We can work this out. You've had a drug over dose…but we can make it ok… You have to trust us." Barkin's voice was soft, calming. Ron joined in.

"KP…please. Listen to us. This isn't you."

Kim smiled. Shego gulped at the expression.

_Oh yes. Now you understand. This was a trap. They set up Bonnie to get you._

And Kim knew what she had to do. The only way to get free…would to be Kill them.

Kill them all.

To be concluded.


	6. The Sword of God is Raised

_The Sword of God is Raised

* * *

_

Kim dropped Bonnie and looked at her "friends." Ron looked at Kim in shock as Bonnie frantically crawled away, whimpering. Her smile was terrifying, and when she turned her eyes on Ron, he saw nothing of his friend in them.

"So, you came here to enjoy some time with your slut, Ron? How much did you pay to have me put out of your way?" Kim said, her mind seamlessly adding Ron to the conspiracy.

"_What?"_ Ron gasped. "Kim, please…"

"Oh, don't lie!" She snarled, taking a fighting stance. "I know all about you…I know about _everyone!_ Why wasn't mom at the library?"

"You didn't want-"

"That's what she'd have me think, twisting words, leaving me to be buried…_Like she wanted!"_ The last came out a scream. On the heels of the scream, Kim was charging them, murder in her eyes. She was going for Ron, only Mr. Barkin got in the way. Ron was a better fighter, that he had proven just a few days ago, but he was a student, and Barkin had a duty to protect him…from Kim…or from having to hurt his friend.

Barkin reached out to grab Kim. If he could pull her to himself, his greater mass could hold her still until Ron and Shego could do…something. Hopefully, he wouldn't hurt her.

He didn't have to worry. Kim was moving like he was standing still. She slapped his hands aside with incredible force, and then grabbed him by the shirt.

_I weigh three times as much as she does, she can'- _His thought was broken off as he was flung across the length of the room, landing next to, and nearly on, the crying Bonnie, stunned, his ankle screaming where the landing had twisted it. Kim leaped after him, laughing.

She was going to kill him.

At least until Shego hit her, low and dirty, from the back. The woman's plasma claws weren't on, but the blow would have knocked out a horse. It looked like Kim may have felt it.

May have.

She spun around and kicked out a leg, folding Shego around it. Shego flew into a wall, leaving Ron and Kim standing. Kim looked over at Bonnie.

"I'll show you, Ronald… sniffing around _her_." Then she was moving towards Bonnie. Bonnie's scream rang in Ron's ear, as he moved faster than he ever had in his life, and attacked Kim. Even if she didn't feel it, she was still less than 120 lbs., and Ron's tremendous roundhouse knocked her back.

"Please, Kim…don't make us do this. We can help you get better." Ron gasped out, tears mixing with the rain dripping from his hair. An inarticulate snarl was the only reply he got, as Kim closed the distance between them.

* * *

Three police cars zipped through the rain, coming up to Bonnie's house. The call had been serious—and a frantic call from the hospital had reported the Kim Possible was involved, and in trouble. The dispatcher hadn't gotten the whole story, but whatever it was, it looked bad. The six officers were ready, for anything.

"Four Boy three." The lead officer reported. "The houses' door is open and-_Holy Shit!"_

Ron exploded from the picture window, flying out across the yard like a ragdoll, on a direct course for the first car. The cops hit the brakes, but that wasn't enough, as Ron slammed into the windshield, starring it.

Behind him, Kim and Shego sprang from the window, fighting in a blur of fists and kicks.

"Jesus Christ…" The cop said. What the hell was that bitch doing, attacking Kim Possible so soon after her trauma? Well, they'd show her. The cops burst out of the car.

"You've got to stop…" Ron wheezed.

"Don't worry, we'll save Kim, just stay still and wait for the medics." Ron lay, stunned, and then bolted upright, ignoring the fact that one rib was now broken, ends grating against each other.

"No! It's not Shego…It's Kim!" He shouted, voice lost in the thunder.

* * *

Shego was backpedaling, blocking and fighting for all she was worth, but Kim didn't seem to feel pain, didn't seem to notice anything, with that crazy empty smile fixed on her face, and the occasional response to one of the phantoms in her head.

"Yes, she does look scared, doesn't she?"

"Kimmie…" Shego said, "I-"

"ON THE GROUND NOW! DO IT!" The shout came, and Shego turned and looked in disbelief. Six cops, guns pointed at her.

"Oh for…"

"DO IT NOW!" Kim looked at Shego, and the cops, and smiled. Then she was heading for the cops. The lead officer looked at the young woman. Kim must be panicked for some reason, she was running right for them for cover…but what the hel-

Kim hit the unprepared cops like a thunder bolt. A fist slammed into a jaw, shattering teeth and bone, and in the process, breaking two of Kim's fingers. She giggled at the feeling. A knee drove into a groin, a cop, slowly, disbelievingly, tried to turn her gun on her, but she lashed out, grabbed her arm, and pulled…leaving the woman screaming on the ground, her elbow a mass of shattered bone. In seconds, the police were littering the ground, moaning or unconscious. The last one looked up at Kim raised her foot to stomp down, shattering his neck.

Then Shego hit her from behind.

_Well, you've done everything else stupid today._ The villainess thought. _Why not get your villain credentials yanked for helping keep the cops alive._ And she could stop Kim…Kim was fighting like a locomotive…unfeeling of pain, but that wouldn't help her if Shego fired up her claws and cut her head off…but she couldn't, she was hear to _help_ Kimmie, not kill her.

Yes. God had a sick sense of humor. Shego thought as she blocked a blow that rattled her to the bone. Behind her, a cop crawled to the car and started talking into his mike.

"No…it _is_ Possible—I don't know, but we have multiple officers down…roll the SWAT and every unit you have!" He paused. "NO! We tried non-lethal. Don't let her get within arms reach!"

* * *

Ron shook his head groggily, trying to clear it. His nose felt busted, he was certain he had one, maybe more, broken ribs. None of that mattered. He had to stop her… before other people showed up, people with guns. They couldn't stop Kim…or could they? Ron looked and leaned down to an unconscious cop, checking to make certain he was still breathing…and then pulled his stun gun out of the holster. Ron grinned, humorlessly. It didn't matter how hopped up someone was if the nerves weren't carrying messages. He peered through the rain to find Kim.

Inside the ruined front room, Barkin tried to stand, wincing at the pain in his ankle. He couldn't help them—they only thing he could do would be to get in Stoppable and Shego's way. Looking down, Barkin pulled off his coat and draped it around Bonnie. The sobbing teen wrapped it around her torso, hiding her breasts.

"Are you ok?" Barkin asked. Bonnie nodded, then still sobbing, started talking.

"She, was…she was going to _kill_ me…why?" Barkin looked at her.

"You were right, Bonnie. It wasn't her fault." He paused, "She was hurt worse than any of us dreamed…well, except for Stoppable…and Shego. It was my fault, Bonnie. I should have done something immediately." Barkin said. "Stay here. I have to see to the police."

_And if Kim has killed any of them?_ His mind said, _Than__ I helped kill them…because I could have stopped this. If I made the right decision... One mistake…and God knows how many lives destroyed from it. _Barkin left the crying teen, and went out to do what he could, alone save for his guilt.

* * *

Shego dodged back, frantically. Kim had broken fingers, blood running from her nose and still had the smile on her face.

"What's a matter?" Kim asked her. "Your plan failing? I know you worked with him, worked with Ron…" In her world, Kim looked out and saw enemies, only enemies. Everyone was an enemy, they would chase her forever, until she destroyed them, every one. Her mother, Shego, the Tweebs, everyone, they were all her enemies…only divided between those who openly attacked her and those who circled around, like hyenas. She dove forward, a triphammer fist driving for Shego's torso. Shego blocked and then screamed at the sharp _crack! _of her forearm, breaking. Some of the bones in Kim's forearm popped, but that pain troubled her no more than any other of this day. Nothing could stop her. Nobody could touch her. She was unbeatable, immortal, undefeatable.

Shego staggered back, and Kim bounced over to her and kicked out with ruthless force, smashing into her right leg…which snapped, like a bunch of dry twigs. Shego, crying out, went down on the wet ground, and before she could do anything, Kim was there, on her chest, hands wrapped around her throat.

"I'll kill you…I'll shut you all up." Kim hissed. "I'll win, you'll see, I'll win…" With terrifying force, her hands started to compress on Shego's throat. Shego felt her bones start to creak, she couldn't breath, she couldn't beat Kim off—her broken arm and her good arm alike ineffectually pushed at the smaller woman, and did nothing to relax the iron pressure on her throat. Now her vision was graying out, she couldn't see anything except for Kimmies' mad, staring eyes.

_I'm…going to die here. Sorry Dr. D… maybe I should have…_Her thoughts remained unsaid, as another form loomed up behind Kim. It was…_Ron?_

"KP…I'm sorry." Ron said, sobbing once as he dialed the stungun up to full and drove it down into the back of her neck. Kim spasmed, releasing Shego, who rolled away, hacking and choking as she inhaled some air.

Kim fell over on her side, her body trembling. For a moment, Ron was fearful that he'd killed her…but then she blinked slowly, and blinked again.

"Ron…" She asked, looking at his bloody nose and black eyes. She looked over at Shego, the green clad woman's eyes clinched in pain as she held her broken arm, one leg at an unnatural angle.

"Ron…" She said again, querulously. Ron looked and saw in her eyes…it was Kim. For now at least, she was back. "I…hurt you." She said, hopelessly, the water from the rain running down her cheeks. "I…hurt…"

"It's ok, KP." Ron said. Kneeling down beside her, he took her in his arms. There was no resistance, as he tried to avoid disturbing her broken arm. "It'll be ok…"

"No…" Kim said, brokenly, "It…I didn't…I….I…." And then she started crying, hopeless racking sobs, as Ron pulled her into his body.

That was the way the SWAT team found them, an injured supervillainness, Ron Stoppable…and a sobbing Kim Possible, huddled into him, eyes tightly closed, crying like a baby.

To be concluded...part B.


	7. Thy Holy Mountain Be Restored

Thy Holy Mountain Be Restored

"She had another flashback." The chief said to a wet Barkin, sitting in the office chair, his bandaged ankle propped up before him. Chief James Forsythe shrugged, "Or, she remembered everything she'd done, and couldn't live with it. Either way, she tried to bash her brains out in the back of the squad car." He paused, "That's why we took her to psych. She's dressed up in an "I love me" jacket right now….and I've called Judge Parsons for a civil commitment order."

"Committed?" What the hell?" Barken snarled. "She's-"

"Almost killed two people, severely injured 6 people, and is in a full scale psychotic break. I have six cops in the hospital, with an amazing collection of broken bones—bones broken because they _did not wish to kill her_." He paused, "If this happens again, I cannot ask them to take that risk—I'll have to order the use of lethal force, and she'll die. The other option is the padded cell, until we can figure out a way to get her better."

"What about her parents." Steve Barkin asked, "Don't they have to agree?"

"Nope—and to put it mildly, they dropped the ball on this." He said coldly, "Steve, I don't want to play hardball, but if they do try to get in the way, I can call Child Protective Services over—you have no idea how long they've been waiting to really crack down on Kim Possible…if that happens…" He sighed, "The court will probably end up terminating their parental rights. She'd go into permanent institutionalization until she's 18…maybe longer."

"That's wrong, James." Barkin told the chief.

"No. It sucks. There's a difference." He shook his head. "I wonder how long this has been building up?"

"What?" James looked over at him.

"Oh, cut the bull, Steve. We both saw the same thing in the service. Some guy, ready, always taking the mission…and then one thing happens, and BOOM!... Section 8 express." He paused, "Hell… maybe it's my fault as well. When she was just helping old folks, getting cats… but then the whole villain thing came up. I should have cracked down then."

"She did well against them." Barkin said, defensively.

"Yeah…which set her up for every second stringer that wanted a rep. You think that sick sack of shit would have buried anyone he met?" James winced, "Well, maybe he did—CSI is still going over all the evidence, but she was _picked_ because of what she did."

"What about Stoppable?"

"Parents and Rabbi are here, talking with him… none of his teen friends, though." James shrugged, "I called in every damn favor I _have_ Steve, and right now there's a news black out on this that you would not believe. It won't last. It can't last. That Rockwaller kid won't be in here forever, and when she gets out…" Steve frowned.

"I don't think she'll spread stories."

"I don't think so either and it doesn't matter—you _saw_ her, Steve." Barkin nodded, painfully, and then took out his PDA and made a quick note. Bonnie would be visiting the school psychologist first thing in the morning, and he'd have to coordinate with the rest of the family.

Presuming he had a job. Steve Barkin knew that some people were going to wonder, aloud and at length, what he was doing in a car with a wanted felon and another teen, hunting a dangerous psychotic, instead of just calling the police first.

"What about Ms. Shego?"

"What about her? She saved six cops, and Kim…that's worth at least one 'get out of jail card' as far as I'm concerned. If FBI wants her, they'll have to go through channels—and the secretary's on two week vacation."

"What a mess." Barkin said. James nodded soberly.

"I know, Steve…and I don't know if there's any way out of this one. "

* * *

Ron and Shego looked at the monitor. Kim had been trying to slam her way out of the cell, but now she just was looking around. Shego had her leg in a pressure cast, only because she'd threatened physical violence to anyone who wanted to completely immobilize it, and a light cast adorned her broken arm. 

"I heal fast—thank the comet." was her only comment to Ron. He looked up at her. She didn't looked healed _now. _Shego's face was a mass of bruises, mirroring his, her neck a mottled pattern where Kim had nearly throttled the life out of her. Ron looked just about as bad, he figured, his taped ribs sending jolts of agony through him whenever he moved to fast.

"Yeah." Ron said.

"How's the other kid?" Ron winced. Ron had visited Bonnie in the Emergency room. Catty Bonnie would have been better then the crying girl.

"It…was…wasn't her fault. She's sick… It wasn't her fault." Was all she could say to the police interviewer, over and over again. They'd finally decided to administer a mild sedative and put her to bed, waiting for her mother, who was flying back as fast as possible.

"Not real good, Shego." Ron said. It looked like Kim wasn't talking to herself, now, at least. The white straitjacket obscenely clashed with her paper pants. 'Suicide watch' the nurse had said, when they taken everything off Kim, including shoes and pants, replacing the pants with paper ones that couldn't be used to make a noose or any other tool, before placing her in the padded cell. They'd tried to strap her down, but evidently it triggered memories of the coffin. Kim had almost broken more bones, frantically writhing against the restraints, screaming about the dark and the worms, and they dared not give her any other medication until the full ramifications of the current mixture were ferreted out.

_"Shit." _Ron said, and suddenly turned to punch the wall. Shego stopped him with her good hand.

"Don't…Stoppable. Time enough for that later."

"Shego?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for not killing her."

"I thought about it…but you came up with the stungun before I'd decided to fire up the plasma."

"Ronald?" Ron turned around.

"Rabbi Katz." He said. The older man looked at him, and Shego.

"Ronald… your parents and the chief would like to talk with you and Shego…"

"What about Kim's parents." The Rabbi looked away. "They'll be there. I think Dr. Possible is waiting for the toxicology report on her blood."

"I need to make a quick call." Shego said, "I'll be there in a minute." She continued, awkwardly walking down the hall. Ron walked up slowly, with Katz.

"What do we do, Rabbi?" He asked.

"Have faith…and give her all that we can." Rabbi Katz looked at Ron.

"Ronald. You and Shego and Mr. Barkin saved her life tonight. You saved those police officers lives and Bonnie's life." He smiled tiredly. "Remember your Talmud." Ron racked his brain and then nodded.

""He who saves one life is as if he had saved the whole world."" Ron frowned. "Don't take this wrong, Rabbi…can I cash that favor in for Kim?" Rabbi Katz looked at the tired, injured boy…no, man, in a sense deeper than any Bar Mitzvah could name, standing beside him by will power alone.

"You may get that chance, Ronald." He paused, "Because Kimberly will need you…and you may be the only person who can do it for her." He stopped and lightly put his hand on Ron's shoulder. "Ronald. You once came to me worried because the Bar Mitzvah signature was missing. I told you then that it didn't matter…and now, I tell you that of everyone in this building, there is nobody who can lay claim to the honor of being a just, kind, man, more than you can." Ron nodded, and opened the door into the small lounge.

* * *

His parents were their, along with Chief Forsythe. His parents hadn't seen him since he'd left with Shego, and his mother gasped. 

"_Ronald!" _She hurried forward, and then paused, uncertain as to whether hug him…or strangle him, some deep part of Ron suggested. His father looked awkward. And a familiar form poked his head out of his shirt pocket.

"You ah…forgot your mole rat." He said, "It was at the house."

"Thanks, Dad… Mom…" Ron felt Rufus run up and then dipped his chin down so his pet could rub along it comfortingly, even though he couldn't feel anything but the dull ache. The Chief cleared his throat.

"Sit down, son, before you fall down." He looked at them all. "off the record, you, Shego and Barkin did a damned find job."  
"I-" Ron started, and the chief raised his hand.

"A damned fine job, because _nobody is dead_." Then he sighed, "But equally off the record, there are going to be some major questions—why didn't you call the cops first, why didn't you officially report this in…"

"Will Mr. Barkin be in trouble?" Ron asked.

"Confidentially… possibly lots." The chief sighed. "Steve is my friend, Ronald. But I, and the educational authorities cannot ignore the fact that three of his students could have died today, and one, quite frankly, may never recover. That may also weigh on Kim's parents."

"They didn't know-" Ron started, hotly.

"And why not?" The chief responded. "One is a brain surgeon…and you're telling me she couldn't see the signs of a drug habit right in front of her face…and you might know that the minute I ran the name of the drug, I was told to keep it, _in my sight_, until someone came and got it. Two spooks from the NSA flew in from the military base, in this weather, picked it up and flew out…and I was told to forget it ever existed."

"Lot's of people owe Kim favors." Ron said.

"And someone may be vanishing down a hole for this one." The Chief replied. "OK, time to get to the official part of the meeting." He pulled out a recorder, and turned it on.

"Please state your name."

"Ronald Stoppable."

"Ronald Stoppable. I am making this recording as an official record. This may be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand this?"

"Yes."

"Do you wish consul present?"

"No."

"Do you make these statements of your own free will, and with the understanding that no payment, or immunity from future prosecution is promised in return for your cooperation?"

"Yes sir."

"Do you affirm that you will tell the truth and the whole truth, as you understand it, under penalty of perjury?"

"I do."

"Very well…let's start from the beginning."

For the next hour, Ron told them everything, including his fears about Kim and the fact that Barkin shared them. Forsythe nodded, not mentioning that right now detectives were also on their way to interview Kim's other teachers. It didn't look real good for Steve right now, Forsythe thought. If it had played out right, he'd be a hero, but it hadn't, and even if he hadn't outright broken any laws, he'd bent enough of them that… well the best administrator the school system had enjoyed might be taking early retirement. He finished the recording, just as the door opened and admitted Mr. and Ms. Possible.

The two were devastated. Their eyes were open wounds, and they were leaning against each other as if they would fall by themselves.

"We…spoke to Kimmie." Mr. Possible said.

"Did she…" Ron started.

"She really didn't recognize us, I don't think." Ms. Possible said. "She's not really aware of where she is." She paused, and in a flatter, 'professional' voice, continued, pulling out a sheaf of papers.

"Here is the toxicology report. In layman's terms, the combat drug Kim took had a number of serious effects on her prefrontal lobe, causing symptoms of paranoia, rage, and hyperactivity." She paused, pinching her nose. "The tranquilizers that she took to sleep, in the short run allowed her to sleep, but in the long run, led to a synergistic effect with the combat cocktail, and led to a full scale psychotic episode—voices, delusions, paranoia, all feeding off the earlier psychological trauma."

"How long?" Ron asked.

"We don't know…days, certainly, maybe longer. Not long after she got back from the hospital." She paused. "She had nightmares…such terrible nightmares, and she left the TV on…and said that helped." She paused, and her husband took her in his arms. "I should have realized that her change was suspicious, and checked… but I…I…" Ms. Possible was crying, and then turned to Ron. "You were right Ron…the signs were all there, but I didn't see them…I wanted to believe that it was over _so badly_, that Kimmie wasn't hurting any more." Her husband held her, as her demeanor deserted her completely and she began sobbing in his arms. Ron looked uncomfortable, and then saw Shego, open the door and motion to him. A quick look at his parents and the Chief showed that they were no longer concentrating on him, so Ron left.

"Not much time, Ron." Shego said.

"What? What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"The Chief in there is about to tell Kimmie's mom and dad that there's a civil commitment order coming down, to transfer her to the state institute for the criminally insane." Shego said, and raised a hand. "No, don't yell—it makes sense from where he is—you saw what Kimmie did, and trust me, there aren't many hospitals that could handle her if she went berserk again." Ron slid down the wall, ignoring the merely physical agony in favor of the worse mental agony.

"So what happens then?" Shego shrugged.

"Well, they dry her out, hop her up again on anti-psychotics, give her to a ton of nice men with lots of degrees and their own idea of what a properly adjusted teen should be, _including_ some who don't like how she lived her life. If they do their job, and she doesn't kill herself, or go completely round the bend, they release her…some day. Maybe she'll even still be Kimmie... but don't bet on it." Shego paused, and then looked down at Ron. "More seriously, maybe she vanishes because some spook agency decides that she'd make a dandy agent. It's happened before, and they use…more nasty methods of persuasion." Ron held his head and moaned, then started as Shego smacked the top of his head.

"Don't you go out on me, kid…that's a loser attitude."

"What can we do?" He asked. "Talk to the chief?"

"He's made his mind up, and a lot of this stuff has been decided at a higher level." Shego said, "And you saw Kimmie's mom and dad—do you think they're in _any_ condition to stop this…even if they could."

"Even if they could?" Ron blinked. "They're her…"

"Parents who let their kid go off and risk death? Who obviously were not keeping watch on her? Kid, you need to," And Shego suddenly brought her face close to Ron's, "_grow up_. You've always had the advantage that people cooperate with you—give you the benefit. That's over now. The cops and courts aren't your friends, they're your _enemies_."

"So I guess you are saying this to let me know how badly I screwed up. Thanks Shego." Ron said, too exhausted to create any real heat.

"Nope, I was thinking that this is a great time for Kimmie and you to take a little vacation."

"Vacation? They have her in a-"

"This place's security is a tinkertoy setup. You and Kimmie blew through worse in five seconds. Given your ribs, call it ten seconds. "

"Then what?" Ron said, thinking. "Where could we go…I could call Wade but-"

"Whoa! Think like a crook please. Do you want to implicate Wade in kidnapping?" Ron shook his head.

"But he's the only one who can arrange a flight."

"Don't forget your auntie Shego." Shego said, dangling a card in front of Ron's eyes. "Keycard for a very nice VTOL stealth transport, parked just three miles away in the park. Push this button to de-activate the stealth cloak and call it to you, and the controls are pretty automated. Call it my 'thanks for almost getting me killed' gift."

"But where?" Ron said, racking his brain.

"Oh… I think…Japan's nice this time of year. Remember, you visited a school there… In fact, a school full of ninjas, who do not need to keep Kimmie in an "I love me jacket." Shego laughed. "Hell, they'd probably treat her flipping out like a pop-quiz or something."

"You knew?" Ron asked.

"Please… after Monkey Fist came back and started ranting, nobody could _not_ know. Dementor changed his phone number two days later—Drakken just got ear plugs and had me screen the calls." Abruptly she got serious. "But we don't have a lot of time. Now, I contacted the school and your sensei would love nothing more then to have you and Kimmie drop by—and he can keep his mouth shut. Japan's not real happy with the U.S. right now, so I don't see a lot of cooperation on extradition even if they do track you." She pointed towards the room where Kim was. "But once they move her, she'll be in a place that is no joke to get out of. Your choice." Ron didn't say anything for a moment.

"Why, Shego?"

"Because I think, everything else aside, that you love her. Not some stupid high school crush, but love, the real deal. I think you're the one most likely to pull her out. Not the doctors, and not her parents, _you._ But if she stays here, you won't have the option." She paused, "But understand this, Stoppable—do this and you can't contact anyone back here—that's how people get caught. If you do send a letter, do it only once, to your parents or Kim's…and send it via enough dead drop cut outs that they can't trace it back to you. You'll be a wanted felon, with another wanted felon, or mentally ill kidnap victim." She looked at him seriously, "This is big league stuff, kid—they catch you and they'll throw away the key. So you need to decide now, one hundred percent, what you're going to do and stick to it." Ron looked over at the blank wall, remembering Kim's look at him. He held Wade's Kimmunicator for a moment, and then put it down on the floor, pulling the batteries before he did.

"Let's go." Shego laughed,

"That's the spirit." She handed Ron another sheet of paper with a series of numbers on it.

"Remember your Naco money?"

"How can I forget, when you were using me as your money bank."

"Heh…well, I'm afraid you didn't impress your parents after that, so they've been depositing your Naco money in several trust fund accounts. They didn't tell you, but right now you have just over 10 million dollars. Probably more in a few years, since a little bird told me your dad had some nasty words about the legal ramifications of handing a minor millions of dollars." She pointed to the numbers on the paper. "In any case, I called in a favor from a friend, he does laundering for the gang down in Vice City, and he cracked the accounts. These are all individual accounts with banks that take customer confidentiality _seriously_—nobody's gonna be seizing or freezing them. There's just under 5 million in it—all I could get on short notice from your account."

"Five…" Ron said, blinking.

"Yep—don't' go nuts like you did last time, but if you're careful, you and Kimmie can live off the interest alone. Don't splash it around, don't attract attention, but money isn't a problem you need to worry about." She grinned. "Well, I figured you would say yes, and the acid I put on the main power bus bars should be cutting lights right about… " The lights died. " now. Did I mention that all the door alarms and locks are also tied to that power system? The back up only covers medical equipment." She finished, handing Ron some nightsight glasses.

"Let's go kid."

Kim's eyes were wide and unseeing at the same time. She didn't know who she was, where she was…the entire week was a swirling nightmare where only a few images emerged. Her choking Shego…the Feel of Ron as he pulled her gently to him, the sounds and lights of the doctors… Then the lights died and she whimpered, but looked up as a laser cut through the wall and Ron popped in.

"Hurry up, Ron—we're cutting it close."

"OK." Ron said, and walked over to Kim. "Hey, KP… ready for a trip?"

"Ron?" Kim asked.

"The same, KP." Rufus popped out and smiled at Kim. "Here… I hope this won't hurt…but we'll get you out of it pretty soon." Then, Kim was being lifted and pulled up moved outside the room, where Shego was holding her awkwardly, using all her strength to balance on her one good leg. Then she was covered in a blanket, put on a stretcher and rolled down a corridor. Shego and Ron were both wearing white coats, Kim saw, before she was covered. Kim heard noises.

"Clear the way!"

"Nobody's bothering us."

"Of course not Ron—we have a covered form, which equals…"

"Dead body, eugh."

"Yep—and real doctors are used to it. If we tried to use some stupid illness, we'd get a doctor pulling us over." Then Kim felt some coldness as they exited the building through a side door. She was still in the straitjacket, and when she moved, Ron would put a gentle hand on her, keeping her from rolling off the stretcher. As the stretcher bounced and rattled over the parking lot, there was a sudden hubhub from behind them.

"Press the button, Max!" Shego called. "I think our little discharge just got noted."

"Max?"

"What, you never saw " The Great Race"? Now I feel old, Stoppable." Then Kim heard the whine of turbines, and the sound of a door opening, extending a ramp. Inside, she felt the warm air and saw the light as the blanked was pulled off. Behind them, framed in the closing door, Kim saw flashlights waving wildly as people charged across the parking lot.

"Time to go!" Shego said, as Kim found herself placed in a seat where she stayed, passive. There was a shudder, as the aircraft took off.

* * *

Ron handled the controls—they were simple, and Shego seemed to want to make certain he could. The only nasty moment came up as they were passing the Pacific Coast, when the radar detector started bleeping. Shego looked down at the indicators. 

"It's an AWACS and looks like a couple of AEW craft off the Pacific Fleet… they're also scrambling F-15's and F-22's from the air defense squadrons."

"For us?"

"Congratulations, kid, you're a supervillain." Shego said, grinning. "Don't worry, this crate's stealth will defeat anything they have in position—or they want to admit to."

"Thanks… are you coming with us?"

"Nope—you got everything you need, Ron…and I need to go steal candy from some babies to get back in good standing with the union." She chuckled, "Put me off in… Australia. I can also do some extra muddying of the waters for anyone looking for you." Ron nodded.

The flight took only a few hours—the craft, once well beyond the American air defense cordon, accelerated to Mach 3. They let Shego off just out of Brisbane, where it was 10:00 AM, and already growing warm. Shego paused, in the hatch, looking at Ron, then back at Kim, who had, still without saying much, curled into a fetal position, sleeping in the seat, covered with one of the craft's survival blankets. Rufus lay in the crook of her shoulder, calming her when she started to twitch.

"Ron…" Shego said, her face utterly serious. "One last thing."

"Yeah?"

"Forget the hero business. Get her life put back together, and then go make a life for yourself." Ron frowned. Shego saw it and shook her head. "No, it won't help us conquer the world…" Her voice dropped, "Even if we wanted to…" In a normal tone, she continued. "They'll find someone else. Before Kimmie, I was a hero…and before me, Nana Possible. There'll always be another hero to come along…and if heroes try to play the hero game too long, the odds always come up against them. Remember that." She smiled, "Good luck, kids." Then she was gone, the hatch shutting out the last view of Shego.

* * *

On the way to Japan, Ron kept the craft flying a bit slower than it could, to give him time to practice with the controls…and to think. He was flying one handed. Kim had woken up momentarily after Shego had left, and had silently grabbed his hand, and pressed it to her cheek, and was sleeping now, still holding onto it. 

"Well buddy." Ron said to Rufus, "Think we did the right thing?" The mole rat gestured he didn't know.

"Neither do I…but Shego's right. No stopping now…and next stop, Japan…and the school." Ron hoped that Sensei would be as understanding as Shego had stated…

"I'm sorry, Mr. and Ms. P." He said, sending his thoughts thousands of miles back to where the distraught parents were, "But putting Kim in some kind of insane asylum wasn't the answer. I'll do my best. I swear it."

As the sun rose high, the green aircraft continued to fly towards the home islands, vanishing into a midday haze.

End Book I.

There will be an intermission.

Coming soon....

**Book II.**

_The Chrysanthemum and the Sword _(With apologies to Margaret Mead).

To heal, Kim needs rest and the monastery may be the place to do it. But even while helping her to become whole again, Ron has to deal with a number of distractions ranging from learning Japanese to Yakuza gangs trying to take over the local town, and a tech geek with too many brains and far too little wisdom. But his real challenge may be too much for anyone to handle.

Ron's spent his life in Kim's shadow, but now he needs to stand forward on his own, against enemies as bad as any he and Kim faced. Will he be up to the task?

* * *

Note: Some of the titles come from the song I was listening to when I plotted the story: Pride of Man. 


End file.
